Identification means for automobiles



- I. BILLINGS.

IDENTIFICATION .MEANS FOR AUTOMOBILES.

A P P L l C A T l 0 N F I L E D M A R 3 l I 9 2 0.

1,364,025', Patented Dee. 28, 1920.

/4 'y -m/I/EIVTOR UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

IDENTIFICATION MEANS FOR AUTOMOBILES.

1364025 Y Specoaton of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 28V,` 1920 Application mea March 31, 1920. serial rlvoQziloaasO.

To all whom t may concern sgfacts are here given: It is suspectedand in.:

Be it known that I, JosnrH BILLiNos, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident and recognition of existing conditions are important, for which reason the following ideed largelybelieved that any important agency facilitating the disposal of a stolen"k i vention in suchk a manner that 'under circumstances, where theelement of time may of the city of New York, borough of Brookautomobile and accounting for its complete lyn, in the county of Kings and State of disappearance, is the actual conditions at- New York, have invented new and Imtending the boxing and shipping of autoi-` proved Identification Means for Automomobiles to foreign. destinations. For exambiles, of which the following is a descripple, it is not unusual for a single boxing' tion. and shipping institution to have brought 65 My invention relates to means for identiin to it in a single day for boxing and ship-` i fying a machine and more particularly is .ping abroad from one to two hundred autointended for embodiment in automobiles, mobiles of a given make and all these with having especially in view Vthe possibility `of the numerous automobiles of other makes their being stolen. thus received may be boxed and ready for The invention has for its general object shipping within twenty-four hours after to reverse the present conditions where the their receipt by the boxing people. It is advantages in the matter of location and therefore to be presumed that the stated ciridentification of a stolen automobile are with cumstances are availed of by organized the thief and hisy confederates rather than thievery and in this connection it will be with the owner and his legal representatives.k obvious that the police, as well as the agents The eEort to identify and recover stolen of the owners and of the insurance comautomobiles meets with suchlittle success Vpanies are vitally handicapped by the that approximatelybut 3% of these are absence from the stolenr cars.oftheusual` recovered, while approximately 97%remain marks of identification obliterated by the r80 unrecovered, notwithstanding the systematic thieves, and by the physical impossibility of and organized effort ofthe individual ownmaking a general and critical examination ers and insurance companies. of the individual automobiles in the rlimited The objects of the invention include the time'before their boxing and shipping. `i purpose of providing a mode of automobile I have in view to providejan identication 85 identification lending itself to the activities means by the use of which'ftakejfrom the of automobile insurance companies that the owner andy his legal representatives ythe imcompany may incorporate in an automobile portant handicap referred to.L now operat-y its own approved factors of-identifi'cation ingagainstthem and placethe same on those and in a manner that its agents maybe engineering the thievery by requiring for 90 equipped for the prompt and unfailing identhe reasonably safe accomplishment of the Y tication of a given automobile, for Aexamtheft that the automobile be completely 'gone ple, among aplarge number requiring to be over and critically examinedas regards all examined and videntified in the very limited removable or separable elements thereof bef period of time frequently available under fore the thieves can feel4 a' degree of surety 9.5 present conditions that work adversely to that the identification means has kbeen lothose charged with the attemptedidentifica- 'cated in its entirety. j tion. y g i To the end that the thieves be thusy handi- It is recognized that factoring in the succapped, the invention contemplates the emcess of organized thievery of automobiles bodiment of identification means in an elef 100' is the facility and promptnessrwith which ment or elements corresponding with other the skilful and cunning yconfederates ofthe elements and soarranged asl to disguise the thieves can alter orv obliterate the usual identification character thereoffthe4 other means'relied upon for identification such as like elements in any vgroup or given total the factory number of the automobile for number of"elements, selected for theV purexample; the step ofprocuringa new license pose of carrying out the vinventiomthus confk for the changed automobile being another stituting in effect a camouflage for the iden-l expedient factoring in making safethe theft. tifying elements and materially aiding in For a full understanding and appreciathe masking thereof. y n tion of the present invention a knowledge Also, I provide for carrying out the in-V 11oy be governing,`a very large number of auto- Y mobiles in a given situation may, with the required despatch, receive the necessary examination for the possible identification by the means incorporated in particular automobiles in accordance with my invention.

Again, I have in view to make possible the carrying out of the invention in a manner insuring the preservation of the identiication means and the embodying of the `same in a form making potentially for indisputable evidence of the identification and available as such.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, it being understood that the drawing is merely illustrative of one example of the invention.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the transmission case of an automobile of known make, having a plurality of bolts that may be made to enter into the carrying out of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a greatly enlarged detail in vertical section of a bolt having my invention embodied therein and certain flange members clamped by said bolt, the section being indicated by the line 2-2, Fig. l;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of the features shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a container for an identification card and a plug to constitute a closure of the pocket in the bolt;

Fig. 5 is a conventional representation of an identification card.

It being understood that any suitable elements employed in plurality in the organism Vof the automobile'may be utilized for the carrying out of my invention, the gear case shown and its appurtenances may be taken as one instance of the kind, the upper and lower sections of the gear case involving a plurality of similar bolts A and another group of bolts A. One of the bolts having been selected as a medium,` the same is formed with a pocket 10, here shown as in the shank of the bolt and extending axially from they front end thereof, said end having the usual nut 11 to coact with the bolt in clamping in this instance the gear case sections B. Said pocket is adapted to accommodate a holder 12, here shown as cylindrical which may conta-in a card 13 in rolled Vor folded form and bearing any identifying name, number, or symbol. The pocket with the container 12 therein is closed by a plug 14 which may, as shown, be a screw plug and in order that the removal of the plug may eHect the withdrawal of the container 12 from the pocket, connection is established between the plug and the cap 15 of the container, there being interlocked eyes 16 employed for the connection in the example given. The screw plug 14 is shown formed with a kerf or slot 17 in the outer end thereof to receive a screw driver in the placing and removal of the plug. The slot 17 in practice when the plug is in position, is filled with cement, paint, or the like, as indicated at 18, Fig. 2, and-the end of the bolt otherwise given a finish to have it not readily distinguishable from other bolts so' that the bolt in its character as an identification means will not be apparent. Thus, in its character as a bolt it acts as a disguise for the identilication means and the importance of the relation of the bolt to other similar bolts in the automobile will be obvious in the masking of the bolt in which the identification means is embodied. The preferred means as illustrated and described are with a view to the maximum value of the arrangement in preserving the identification means intact and the availability of the same as evidence.

In the use of the invention, in practice, it will be clear that an insurance company for example may incorporate in an automobile its own selected means of identification for that particular -automobile or for all the automobiles of a given make. Thus, with a given number of automobiles, there will be a limited number of locations to be examined by the confidential agents and the precision with which the points of examination can be instantly located enables the agents to complete the examination of a large number of automobiles in a short period of time. It will be seen that the same means employed to expedite the work of the authorized parties works pronouncedly against unauthorized parties who, seeking to locate identication means, can feel safe only when every separate or removable part has been taken into account and even then only the complete renewali of such parts can insure a feeling of safety that all the identification means has been destroyed.

I would here mention that the invention serves to identify an automobile broken up and sold as junk.

I would state in conclusion-that while the illustrated' example constitutes a practical embodiment of my invention, I do not limit myself strictly to the mechanical details herein illustrated, since manifestly the same can be considerably varied without departure from the spirit of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus, described my invention, I claim:

1. In a machine, identification means lar elements, and identilication means for said machine embodied in one of said elements.

4. A machine identification means concealed Within a bolt of the machine.

5. In a machine, instrumentalities entering into said machine as a part in the makeup thereof for the normal functions of the machine and similar to other parts of the machine, said instrumentalities embodying also concealed identification means for the ifnachinei and constituting a disguise there- 6. In a machine, means forming part ofV the machine looking to the normal funcf tions' of the latter and constituting also means to accommodate and conceal an identiication means for said machine, said irst means simulatingother means forming part of the machine structure.

7. In a machine and identification means therefor, an element of said machine formed with a pocket, and a holder for an identification medium, said pocket accommodating said holder, and said element With the holder therein being given an appearance to simulate other parts of the machine for disguising its special character in functioning as a factor in the identication means.

8. In a machine, a bolt therein functioning as part of the machine structure, said bolt having aV pocket adapted 'to receive identification means, and a closure for said y pocket, the bolt and its closure presenting the normal appearance of an ordinary bolt. i

9. A'machine having a plurality of bolts therein, one of said bolts-having anidenti-k ication means concealed thereby and disguised by the resemblance ofthe bolt to other bolts in the machine.' Y

ing as part of the machine structure and having` a pocket adapted to removably accommodate identification` means, means forming a closure of the pocket kto conceal said identification means, and ymeans constrained to move with" said closure means for removing the identificationmeans with the removal of the closure.

11. In a machine, a bolt therein and hav-- JOSEPH BILLINGs.

, e, 4o f y 10. In a machine, a bolt therein functionf 

